The Joker Gets New M-Rated Comic Series Under DC Black Label In October

October seems to be the month of The Joker. Joaquin Phoenix is set to put on the mask of the Clown Prince of Crime in the Joker solo film, and in the same vein, DC Comics is releasing a comic book miniseries featuring his (mis)adventures.

Joker: Killer Smile is a three-issue miniseries that is penned by comic book maestro Jeff Lemire and illustrated by Andrea Sorrentino, published under the mature sect of the DC Comics banner, DC Black Label.

The cover for Joker: Killing Smile #1.

Killer Smile will be a slightly more different take on the Joker, focusing on his relationship with Dr. Ben Arnell, a new “young mental health professional who’s been tasked with trying to make sense of the Joker.”

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While many might think this is a new sympathetic story of Batman’s archnemesis, Lemire dissuaded any such expectations of his new series.

“The Joker isn’t inherently a hero or an antihero at all. He’s the incarnation of evil, and I’ve always had a bit of an issue with people who romanticize him even though that’s obviously the case,” said Lemire in an interview with io9. “Killer Smile’s a story about just how dark the Joker really is and how inviting him into your life is dangerous and yeah, we want people to feel like none of their ideas about who he is really capture the full gravity of what he is.”

Joker: Killer Smile will not be the first dovetail act between Lemire and Sorrentino. They have previously collaborated on the DC New 52’s Green Arrow between 2011 – 2016, as well as Old Man Logan for Marvel Comics in 2016.

Marion has a serious RPG addiction. Sometimes it bleeds into real life; he forgets to sleep because he thinks he has a Witcher’s body clock. Forgive him in advance if he suddenly blurts out terms such as “Mind Flayer” and “Magic Missile”, because never once does he stop thinking about his next Dungeons & Dragons game.

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